Door knob cover



March 23, 1965 M. H. WILLIAMS 3,174,788

DOOR KNOB COVER Filed Feb. 12. 1963 INVENTOR.

3,174,788 DGGR KNOB COVER Mark H. Williams, 1323 W. Francis, Spokane,Wash. Filed Feb. 12, 1963, Ser. No. 258,077 1 Claim. (Cl. 292-347) Thisinvention relates to closures and, more particularly, to a safety devicefor door knobs.

it is an object of the present invention to provide an accessory for useon door knobs which will prevent young children from opening doors orturning faucets, so as to prevent the opening of such doors or faucetswhich could lead to injury or harm.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a door knobcover of the type described which can be readily applied and removedfrom the door knob or faucet handle, and which when so applied may besqueezed by an older person to effect turning of the knob or faucet, butwhich will effectively prevent actuation by younger children.

A more general object of the invention is to provide an improved doorknob cover which will produce new and unusual results in this particularart.

These and still other objects of the present invention will becomeapparent from a reading and study of the following specification andclaim, taken together with the accompanying drawings in which like partsare referred to and indicated by like reference characters appearingthroughout the specification and drawings, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of a door knob cover made in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the opposite side of the door knob covershown in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a front plan view of the assembly shown in FIGURES 1 and 2,in actual use.

Referring now to the drawing, a door knob cover made in accordance withthe present invention is shown to include a pair of substantiallysemi-spheroidal elements 12, 14 defining an enlarged interior housingfor receiving a door knob or faucet handle therewithin. These elements12, 14 are hingedly connected together along one side, by means of aflexible hinge member 16 which yieldably urges the elements toward aclosed position around the handle.

The opposite side of the elements 12, 14, defines a parting line 18,which is separable to allow insertion of the knob into the interiorenclosure of the cover. The base of the closure element 12, 14 isprovided with a thickened section 20 to provide a degree of rigidity forholding the shape of the cover around the knob handle. The elements 12,14 are preferably constructed from a compressible sponge-type material,such as foam rubber or plastic, which can be manually squeezed totransmit a squeezing pressure from the hand to the knob or handle by aperson having sufficient strength. Of course, a younger child will notbe able to exert sufficient squeezing pressure to cause frictionalengagement of the cover with the knob or handle.

With the elements 12, 14 in the handle enclosing position, the oneelement 14 has a flap 22 extending across the face and part of the sidesthereof which masks the seam line 18 of the assembly.

A latch assembly, enclosed within a protective cover 28, has a pair ofoutwardly extending stems 26 for releasing the latch mechanism tofacilitate the opening of nited States Pater the two pieces 12, 14, fromenclosing engagement with the knob, and from around the shaft of thehandle or knob which is received within the central opening 24 of thecover.

The stems 26 may also be used to spread the hinged elements 12, 14-,apart to facilitate the application or removal thereof with respect tothe door knob or handle.

It will now be recognized that when supplied to the knob or handle, theassembly It will be loose fitting thereupon so as to be free-turningwhen rotated by a small child. However, an older child or adult mayexert a squeezing pressure upon the cover assembly 10 to providefrictional engagement with the door knob or handle to facilitate theactuation of the door latch in a conventional manner. This device willtherefore prevent small children from opening doors and valves, or thelike, whenever the cover is supplied.

It will now be clear that an improvement in this art has been providedwhich accomplishes the objectives heretofore set forth. While theinvention has been disclosed in its preferred form, it is to beunderstood that the specific embodiment thereof as disclosed andillustrated herein is not to be considered in a limited sense as theremay be other forms or modifications which should also be construed tocome within the scope of the appended claim.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to besecured by Letters Patent is:

A safety door knob cover comprising in combination a pair of hollow,substantially semicylindrical elements, each of said elements beingsemi-spheriodal at one end and each having a generally flat opposite endwall of semicircular configuration for loosely enveloping a knob of adoor, hinge means hingeably connecting one cylindrical side of each ofsaid elements together and a latch means on the opposite cylindricalside for releasably securing the said opposite side of said elementstogether, each of said flat, semicircular end walls defining a thickenedpanel to give a degree of rigidity for holding the shape of the coveraround a door knob handle, a semicircular opening in each saidsemicircular end wall defining together a circular opening for receivinga shaft of a door knob therethrough, said hollow, semicylindricalelements comprising compressible pads defining an enlarged interiorhousing freely receiving a door knob therewithin, said hinge meanscomprising a flexible strip carried by said one side of said elementsyieldably urging said elements towards a closed position about a doorknob, said latch means comprising a radially outwardly extending arcuatehousing on each said element, said housing of each said element togethercontaining a latch mechanism for releasably securing said opposite sidesof said elements, and each said element having a radially outwardlyextending stem for releasing said mechanism.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,329,913 2/20McGuire -212 2,587,285 2/52 Broscoe 292-347 2,845,104 7/58 Frankel.

M. HENSON WOOD, 111., Primary Examiner.

ALBERT H. KAMPE, Examiner.

